( crowd cheering )
( "footloose" playing )
( cheering continues )
♪ been working so hard
♪ I'm punching my card
♪ eight hours, for what?
♪ oh, tell me what I got
♪ I got this feeling
♪ that time's just holding me down, whoo! ♪
- ♪ ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, come on! ♪ - come on, baby!
♪ I'll hit the ceiling
♪ or else I'll tear up this town ♪
- ♪ whoo! - Whoo!
♪ ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
♪ now I gotta cut loose
♪ footloose
♪ kick off the Sunday shoes
♪ ooh-wee, louise
♪ pull me off of my knees
♪ jack, get back
♪ come on, before we-- come on
- ♪ lose your blues - ♪ your blues
- ♪ everybody, cut footloose - ♪ cut footloose
- ♪ footloose - ♪ footloose
♪ kick off the Sunday shoes
♪ uh-huh
♪ please, louise
- ♪ pull me off of - ♪ pull me off of my knees
♪ pull me off of my knees
- ♪ jack, get back - ♪ get back
♪ come on, before we crack
♪ oh, oh, oh, oh
- ♪ lose your blues ♪ - ♪ everybody now
♪ everybody cut, everybody cut ♪
- ♪ everybody - ♪ everybody, cut footloose
♪ ooh, ooh, ooh
- I know him! I know him! That's my friend! - Yeah!
Wow! Amazing! You heard the man.
Everybody, cut footloose!
- You look great. - They're matching.
- Nick: Give it up for the slick robin thicke. - You look good, too.
That was off the chain, right?
Now, me and robin are both giving kevin bacon tonight.
Who's the better bacon? Me or-- I think robin got it.
- Robin, you got it. - Jenny: Robin won this one.
It's the 40th anniversary of the iconic classic "footloose"!
Whoo!
Now tonight, our remaining group a singers are back,
Kicking off their Sunday shoes...
- Yeah! - ...To battle it out
For the golden mask trophy!
But right now, we're kicking things off with showbird.
How does her life reflect the struggle seen in "footloose"?
Well, here's your answer.
I always knew if I ever got a chance in front of the lights,
I'd do something good with it.
So when I got that chance, work became my entire life.
- I was married to it. - Look at those diamonds.
- Maybe she knows jewel. - But I couldn't help but feel
Like maybe something was missing. Real love!
The kind like ren and ariel found in "footloose."
Then, recently, I reconnected with an old "friend bird,"
Who unexpectedly became my lovebird.
- Not you, colton. - ( buzzer )
He's encouraged me to rekindle my first flame,
One I gave up for two decades-- singing.
- Purple cupcake. - Maybe it's someone from "the color purple"?
Oh!
But his love helped me find that carefree confidence again,
Which led me here.
So, tonight, let's here it
For my baby, my lovebird.
- You find success in your career... - Right?
...And then you worry if you find love.
- She got it. - And now she found both.
Rita: Yeah.
( music playing )
♪ my baby, he don't talk sweet ♪
♪ he ain't got much to say
- Yeah! - Hey!
♪ but he loves me, loves me, loves me ♪
♪ I know that he loves me anyway ♪
( no audible dialogue )
♪ and maybe he don't dress fine ♪
♪ but I don't really mind
Her voice sounds great.
♪ 'cause every time he pulls me near, I just wanna cheer ♪
♪ let's hear it for the boy
♪ ah, let's give the boy a hand ♪
Yes!
♪ let's hear it for my baby
♪ you know you gotta understand ♪
♪ whoa, maybe he's no romeo
♪ but he's my loving one-man show ♪
♪ whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
♪ let's hear it for the boy
♪ my baby may not be rich
♪ he's watching every dime
♪ but what he does, he does so well ♪
♪ makes me wanna yell
♪ let's hear it for the boy
♪ ah, let's give the boy a hand ♪
♪ let's hear it for my baby ♪
♪ you know, you gotta understand ♪
♪ whoa, maybe he's no romeo
♪ but he's my loving one-man show ♪
♪ whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
♪ let's hear it for the boy
- ♪ let's hear it for the boy - oh, my god.
♪ let's hear it for my baby
♪ let's hear it for my man
♪ let's hear it for the boy
( vocalizing )
♪ let's hear it for my baby
♪ put your hands together
- Wow! - What?
Amazing!
- Nick: Okay. - What?
Let's hear it for the bird!
Yes!
I mean, showbird, you stopped the show.
It was a showstopper, for all I know.
So that was fantastic. Well done.
What an opening. That was amazing.
- Amazing. - We could definitely use a clue
- To figure out who this is though, right? - More clues.
We need more clues.
Delivered to the stage in an iconic way
From everyone's favorite dance movie, "footloose,"
Let's see what showbird's is.
Men in black, bring it out.
Whoo!
- ( music playing ) - music box.
( hip-hop beat playing )
- What? - Uh-oh.
Hip-hop. Hey! Hey!
All right.
Showbird, what can you tell us about this clue?
Now, that's more my vibe.
Because back in '94,
I was part of a hip-hop empire!
- What? - What?
- Hip-hop empire? - Nick: Oh, wow.
Well, thank you, men in black.
Or man in black.
- Oh, my god. - Do you know who it is, ken?
- You know what? - You picking up on something, ken?
Well, I've been leaning towards somebody else,
Because this person also has a connection with my frenemy joel mchale.
And I've been thinking someone I worked with on "community."
- This could be yvette nicole brown. - What?
- Ahh! - Because the music box...
- Yes. - ...Says she's part of this hip-hop empire.
She got signed to motown records
By michael bivins as part of the "east coast family."
- Wow. - And she recently got engaged.
- They're a perfect match. - Aww!
- I think showbird is yvette nicole brown. - Sounds right.
- Sounds right, sounds right. - Wow. Such a great guess from ken jeong.
It's a good guess. It's a good guess.
- But if I go by clues, I do like my connection. - Uh-huh.
- Which is the purple cupcake. "the color purple." - yeah.
- Oh. - You guys just saw her say on stage the word "empire."
- Yep. Taraji p. Henson. - Hello? Taraji p. Henson!
- That's true. - Pretty good
Yeah, I agree. I agree with jenny.
You know, taraji, I did say that last week.
And then I'm seeing the purple cupcake, and I'm like, okay, cool.
You know, I had the privilege of working with prince
- At paisley park studios. - Yeah.
And purple, cupcake, "purple rain," prince.
So I'm thinking could this be sheila e?
- You know? - Ken: Oh!
Look, look! She's drumming exactly like sheila e.
But you know what? You have flavor, you got soul.
That was an amazing performance. Thank you so much.
- That was fantastic. - Indeed.
Let's keep it going for showbird.
Showbird, you put on quite the show.
Now you can fly on backstage and take a load off in ken's trailer.
All right, we are just getting started
Here on "footloose" night.
And, robin, I'm still not over this kevin bacon-off we got going here.
- Look at that. - I think we both--
We just look like we're going to the same wedding.
Exactly. But I got something even better.
We got a very personal message from the man himself-- mr. Footloose.
- Check it out. - Oh, no way!
- The real bacon. - No way.
Hey, "masked singer." kevin bacon here.
Wow, 40th anniversary of "footloose,"
And you are honoring "footloose" on that show.
That is so cool, and I was so honored
To have been in the movie 40 years ago.
But let me just say something, you know, from my heart.
Please, louise,
Pull me off of my knees.
Jack, get back.
Come on. Before we crack.
- Lose your blues. - Wow.
Everybody cut-- well, you know the rest.
♪ who is that?
♪ I gotta cut loose, footloose ♪
♪ kick off the Sunday shoes
♪ please, louise
♪ pull me off of my knees
♪ jack, get back
♪ come on, before we crack
♪ lose your blues
♪ everybody, cut footloose
Welcome back to "footloose" night
Here on "the masked singer!"
I'm giving you the full
Kevin bacon experience, right?
- Yeah! - Yes!
And speaking of kevin, make sure you check out
His great organization sixdegrees.Org.
It's all about harnessing good
And supporting social impact at the local level.
- Nice. - Nice. Nice.
Now, last week the ship sailed into the competition.
But what was the ship like in high school?
Let's go below deck and find out.
It's full of clues.
Like the lyrics of "footloose" say,
Everybody, kick off your Sunday shoes.
Easy, right? Well, not when you're a ship in a boot.
In high school, I was a star cheerleader,
Class president, and was even voted prom queen.
- Oh. - Overachiever.
So when I injured my foot and the doctor said
I had to sit on the sidelines for a whole year,
My heart sank.
My frustration led me to the family's piano,
Where I'd sit for hours on end.
- A piano, okay. - Plays the piano.
- Oh, sarah mclachlan. - She's a real musician. Oh!
Ship: It was my therapy.
I channeled my sorrow, my joy, my expression.
Music became my paradise,
And it's been a healing source since.
Now the good news is the only boots I'm wearing these days are leather
And made for dancing.
- And tonight, I feel like I'm knocking on heaven's door. - ( knocking )
I like the piano. She's obviously a musician.
- Yes. - This is gonna be good.
- Get ready, guys. - I'm thinking like amy grant?
- I love that guess. - Amy grant.
( inhales )
( music playing )
♪ I thought that dreams belonged to other men ♪
♪ 'cause each time I got close ♪
♪ they'd fall apart again
I mean, her voice is amazing.
♪ I feared my heart would beat in secrecy ♪
♪ I faced the nights alone
♪ oh, how could I have known
♪ that all my life, I only needed you? ♪
♪ oh, almost paradise
♪ we're knocking on heaven's door ♪
- Wow. - Wow! Right? Goosebump city.
♪ almost paradise
♪ how could we ask for more?
♪ I swear that I can see forever ♪
♪ in your eyes
♪ paradise
Yeah!
♪ and in your arms
♪ salvation's not so far away
♪ it's getting closer
- ♪ closer every day - ♪ almost paradise
- Yes! - Oh, my gosh!
♪ oh, yeah
♪ almost paradise
♪ how could we ask for more?
♪ I swear that I can see forever ♪
♪ in your eyes
♪ paradise
( vocalizing )
She's the frontrunner, I think, of this competition.
Yeah!
Nick: Wow.
Got everybody on their feet.
Catch me, ken, before I go overboard.
Oh, my god. Oh, my goodness!
We all went overboard for the ship tonight.
- Yeah! - Outstanding.
Oh, thank you.
What is the ship's extra clue?
In honor of the star of "footloose,"
Let's play six degrees of kevin bacon.
- Oh! - Yeah!
- Oh, that's fun. - Men in black, bring out
Our loveboat's clue.
Jenny: I love this game.
- She must know him. - Yeah.
- Oh, my-- - bowmont high school,
- The high school from "footloose." - yep.
- Wait, wait, wait. Whoopi goldberg. - And melissa etheridge.
- And whoopi goldberg. - And whoopi goldberg.
- What the heck? - Wow.
- What does that mean? - All right, well, ship, what can you tell us
About this clue here in the locker?
Ship: Well, nick, I'm three degrees
Away from kevin bacon.
I'm connected to melissa etheridge,
Who is connected to whoopi goldberg...
Uh-huh.
...Who starred in "destination anywhere"
- With kevin bacon. - Okay.
- All right. - Nick: Okay. That's some great clues right there.
Men in black, thank you so much for that.
Rita: You know, ship, you're like the hardest one for me.
Your vocals are so outstanding
That it throws all of the clues out the window for me
'cause I'm really listening to your vocals and your tone,
And seeing kind of like how I recognize--
I've been closing my eyes. I'm like, "I know it. I know it."
But I just don't know it.
So I was thinking, you know, that incredible texture
That your voice has, it reminds me of kate bush.
- Oh, wow. - But I was thinking, the raven makes me think of a cover,
One of my favorite covers of "blackbird," sung by sarah mclachlan.
So I was like, could it be sarah mclachlan?
But there would be sad puppies in the clue package.
- Yeah. - I like that guess, though.
Well, I actually love-- that was what I said originally.
When I'm thinking of the vocals
And I'm thinking of these connections,
- I think of names like amy grant. - Yes.
And the cowboy boots, wasn't she wearing cowboy boots
- In her famous "baby, baby" video? - The first one.
I believe so. Yeah, so I'm remembering that.
- But, I'm sorry, the piano changes everything. - Yeah.
- I agree with you, rita. That's sarah mclachlan. - Yeah.
- Wow. - Whoa.
- Robin: Because of the piano. That's what she's known for. - Rita: Yes, that's exactly it.
Yeah, I'm stumped right now. I'm just gonna have to go with-- use my brain right now.
- Is it under this hat? - It's somewhere there.
But I think, just based off the clues-- that bird?
- It wasn't a raven. It was a crow. - Okay, ken.
A crow is a bird-- as in sheryl crow.
She is good friends with melissa etheridge.
If it's sheryl crow, it might as well be russell crowe, while you're at it.
You know what? How dare you?
I'm gonna shut up now. Bye.
Whoever you are, you have the most beautiful voice, I believe,
- On "masked singer" season 12 so far. - Oh, my goodness, jenny!
- Thank you. Oh! - Wow. Truly an outstanding job.
Y'all keep it going for the ship.
And as the kids say, we all ship the ship.
- Men in black, come help the ship out. - All right.
- Guys, I've got a really serious question. - Yeah?
- What? - How many degrees away are you guys from kevin bacon?
Well, I mean, I've met him before and hung out.
- Really? - I met him at an in-n-out, yeah.
He met him at an in-n-out! You win.
What does it mean if you've had a dream about kevin bacon?
- Oh! - That doesn't count.
- It means nothing. - No.
- That means zero. - Absolutely nothing.
I want to know, nick,
'cause nick knows everybody, you guys.
How many degrees away from kevin bacon are you, nick?
I was at the same in-n-out that robin was at.
- Yeah. - Oh, man, you ain't right.
♪ who is that?
- ♪ who is that? - Whoa!
That's daddy on a tractor. Wow.
Welcome back to "footloose" night
- On "the masked singer!" - wow!
Hey! Ay!
Now let's get into our next competitor, the woodpecker.
- Oh, yeah. - Nick: What was her childhood like?
It's full of clues. Watch this.
( pecking )
Just like in "footloose," I know a thing or two
About fighting for what you believe in.
As a young chick, while most kids were playing in tree houses,
I was planting roots in hollywood.
But growing up in front of the world was awkward.
- Oh! - She's gotta be a child star.
From wanting to wear heels, to flirting with boys,
And, god forbid, uttering a cuss word...
( quacks )
...Everyone was all up in my business
Treating me like I was their child.
It's one thing when your mom tells you what to do,
And another thing when everyone around you is chirping in.
- A little briefcase. - Oh, she's a business mogul!
But I always stayed headstrong,
Dancing through the growing pains at my own pace.
And in turn, I got young birdies following in my footsteps
Who see me as their hero. But my advice?
You can be your own hero, too.
And tonight I'm singing a song
That's always helped me celebrate, well, me.
And I hope it'll be a knock-out. Knock on wood!
( pecking )
- Okay. - Wow.
- Knock on wood. - There's a lot going--
We're dealing with someone that started very young.
She is a hustler, this one.
♪ do-do, do-do
♪ ahh, ahh
♪ where have all the good men gone ♪
♪ and where are all the gods?
♪ where's the streetwise hercules ♪
♪ to fight the rising odds?
I know this voice.
♪ isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed? ♪
♪ ooh, ooh, ooh
♪ late at night, I toss and I turn ♪
♪ and I dream of what I need
♪ I need a hero
♪ I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night ♪
♪ he's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast ♪
♪ and he's gotta be fresh from the fight ♪
- ♪ I need a hero - ♪ hero
♪ I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light ♪
♪ he's gotta be sure and he's gotta be soon ♪
♪ and he's gotta be larger than life ♪
I mean, this sounds like a real singer, right?
- She's doing great. - ♪ ...The heavens above
♪ out where the lightning splits the sea ♪
♪ I can feel his approach like a fire in my blood ♪
♪ like a fire in my blood
♪ like a fire in my blood ♪
♪ like a fire in my blood
♪ like a fire in my blood ♪
♪ oh, oh
- ♪ I need a hero - yes!
♪ I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night ♪
♪ he's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast ♪
♪ and he's gotta be fresh from the fight ♪
- ♪ I need a hero - ♪ hero
- ♪ I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light ♪ - ♪ hero till the morning
♪ he's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon ♪
♪ and he's gotta be larger than life ♪
♪ I need a hero
- This is a hard one. - The woodpecker.
- She's very polished. - Wow.
- And she can move. - Woodpecker, you are one of my favorites.
You have a voice that I feel like-- it's so incredibly powerful,
You're so talented, that we should know who you are.
Because I'm like, this is a recording artist. She's that good.
- Oh, absolutely. - You just keep on pecking.
- She's got a powerhouse voice. - Just keep on pecking, baby.
- Pecking away! Peck, peck, pecking away. - Thank you.
All right, guys, now before we hear
From the panel with their guesses,
Let's get a extra clue for the woodpecker.
- Yes, please. We need a clue. - I'd like one.
- Yeah, with woodpecker-- - men in black, bring out the clue.
- What? - What's that?
- Oh, my god. - Kevin bacon's iconic shoes from "footloose."
- Oh! That's what it is. - Nice!
- What? - Woodpecker, what can you tell us about this clue?
Another bird from "the masked singer" family, and also mine,
Shares their "style-ish" obsession of shoes with me.
- Whoa. - Huh.
- Oh, I love shoes, too. - All right.
You guys picking up on any clues?
We've had a few birds on this show.
We've had quite a few birds.
So I don't know which bird she's referring to.
I mean, donnie wahlberg was a rooster.
Cluedle-doo loved shoes.
It's like, you can sing, you can move,
You've got coordination, you have presence,
- You've got star quality. - Thank you.
What are you thinking, rita?
You know, I'm just gonna throw a name in there,
Just based off the clues.
'cause for me, it's like,
You know, the director thing,
The chair, the briefcase.
There's so many elements to you, which makes me think
You're a hustler-- like me, which I'm loving.
I know that's right.
You know, so I was thinking, is it, like, a marvel actor?
Like, a hero? This woman's got her own production company
And she's in "black panther," one of my favorite films.
- Is it letitia wright? - ( woodpecker squeaks )
So I've got no clue though. Like, seriously.
You know what? I'm just going by clue--
This is a clue-based guess.
- For the first time ever, I don't know who this is. - I know.
- But I'll tell you, I'm gonna double down... - Yeah.
...On last week's guess of mine, willow smith.
( scattered whoops, cheering )
That director's chair-- willow smith also directs
- As well as performs in her own music videos. - Yeah, but--
And speaking of bird clues, willow smith has performed
With "masked singer's" own rubber ducky, anthony anderson,
In perhaps the best and most precious mother's day special of all time,
- On vh-1 called "dear mama." - oh, wow.
I mean, clue-wise-- clue-wise, you're making some sense.
But I think you're going down the wrong tree hole.
Jenny: You know what? Oh, my god, I'm so embarrassed right now.
All these puns. I'm not that confident about my guess.
And I don't like that 'cause I like having tons of confidence.
And sometimes overly confident. Not as bad as him, though.
So, I feel like she's a mogul in her own world...
- Yeah. - ...Of actresses and directing.
It sounded to me like the amazing regina king.
- Oh, wow. - Robin: Regina. Regina king.
- Regina is a quadruple threat. - We love regina.
- Oscar winner. - Right? But I want to know, does nick like it?
- 'cause I think nick-- - what do you think, daddy?
- Nick, I feel like you know who this is. - I know regina well.
- That is not no regina I ever met. - Ken: Regina or willow?
I mean, it's-- I definitely feel like
- It's someone more in willow's age group. - Yes! I'm right, daddy!
I love you, daddy. I love you, daddy, so much.
- What is going on? - Sit down, ken.
- Let's just relax, guys. - Jeez.
- Let's relax. - Well, one thing we do know,
That was an amazing performance from woodpecker.
- Thank you. - You were peck-tacular.
- You keep on pecking. - You can head on backstage.
Men in black, come help her out.
You know what to me defines a really good season?
- Huh? - Is when I get lost in their performances
- And I forget that I'm supposed to be playing the game. - Yes. Yes.
So I'll be like this. "oh, my god, I love this song."
And then I'm like, "oh, god, I gotta try to concentrate."
That happens to me every waking hour of my life.
Rita: Yeah.
♪ who is that?
You know, with you guys matching coats and all,
I think we have to figure out
Who the real kevin bacon is, don't you?
- Oh, no. - I think--
I think we need a little dance-off, is what I think.
- What? - Oh, a dance-off?
- ( "footloose" playing ) - what?
- ♪ kick off the Sunday shoes ♪ - yes!
- ♪ please, louise - ah!
- He's got it. - ♪ pull me off of my knees
- Look at that! - All right, robin!
- ♪ jack, get back - go, robin!
- Go, robin! - ♪ come on, before we crack
- Oh! - You got some money?
♪ everybody, cut footloose
- Ken: Do it! Do it, daddy! - Jenny: Your turn, nick.
- I can't top that. - Ken: No! No, no! You dance, daddy!
- Jenny: That was awesome. - There's no way I can top that.
- Nick, do a little swivel. Do something, daddy. - I believe in you, daddy.
- Dance. - All right, hit it! Go!
♪ gotta cut loose, footloose
- Oh, yes! - ♪ kick off the Sunday shoes
- ♪ please, louise - no way!
- ♪ pull me off of my knees ♪ - robin got it, though.
- Give it up for robin thicke. - Wow.
- Give it up for nick! - Nick: All day long.
- I think robin won. - Nick cannon!
- Robin won. - ♪ who is that?
- Welcome back to "the masked singer!" - yeah!
This is "footloose" night.
And we still have our final singers,
- And it's the buffalos. - Rita: Yeah!
- I love them. - The best is yet to come.
How do they relate to the rebellious spirit of "footloose"?
Well, let's hear it from them.
You know how when someone tells you you can't do something, you just want to do it more?
Well, just like those kids in "footloose" longing to dance,
We're each rebels in our own way.
We somehow found each other along the trail.
- They found each other, so they're not brothers. - No.
Everyone told us we couldn't just do our thing,
But, you know, we didn't listen.
We've succeeded by not giving a darn what people think.
Think we're corny? Who cares? We're rich.
- Ha-ha! - Dude, they're funny.
And if you think we take ourselves too seriously? Look at us.
We're out here dressed like some wrestlemania buffalos
About to sing a track from "footloose." we funny as hell.
So do you, and don't let anybody tell you who or what to be.
On that note, here's a love song to show you just how corny...
- And rich! - ...We are.
- Word. - Oh, my god, they've got--
- I love them! - Buffalo got jokes, man.
- They rich-rich. I'm excited about this. - Here we go, kids.
( music playing )
♪ so long
♪ I been looking too hard
♪ I've been waiting too long
♪ sometimes I don't know what I will find ♪
♪ I only know it's a matter of time ♪
- ♪ maybe I'm wrong - wow.
♪ won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong? ♪
♪ this heart of mine has been hurt before ♪
♪ this time I want to be sure
- ♪ I've been waiting for a girl like you ♪ - yeah!
♪ to come into my life
- I mean, swoon. - ♪ I've been waiting
- ♪ for a girl like you - ♪ waiting for a
♪ a love that will survive
- ♪ I've been waiting - ♪ I've been waiting
♪ for someone new
♪ to make me feel alive
♪ yeah, jenny
- ♪ for a girl like you - I'm like, "hi!"
That's you.
♪ to come into my life
( vocalizing )
♪ I've been waiting
♪ waiting for you
( vocalizing )
♪ yeah, yeah, yeah
♪ hey, yeah
- Wow. Wow. - Whoo!
- Look at that. - It's getting hot in here.
They know how to woo. Oh, my goodness.
Yeah! Buffalo! Buffalo!
- Buffalo! Buffalo! - What?
- Yeah! - What are they--
- Robin: Buffalo! - Wow. Robin, what'd you think about that?
- The buffalo came out to let them know. - Yeah.
That was-- you know what I really loved?
I mean, great vocals, all three of you guys can sing,
But what I really loved was you went in
And you worked the crowd. We don't get a lot of that.
- Ken: We don't get a lot of that at all. - Great performance.
Way to take it into the crowd and create some goosebumps.
- Ken: They're stunned. - I saw the girls. The girls started screaming.
The buffalos got the buffalos going crazy.
Rita: Yeah, they got everyone going--
Well, before the panel lets loose on their guesses,
Let's get another clue about the buffalos.
We definitely could use it. Men in black, bring it out.
- I need all the clues I can get at this point. - Bring out the clues.
- Thank you. - Ken: Look at that. Look at that license plate.
- Rita: What's up? What's up? What does it say? - It says "mo-town."
- Motown! - Motown records.
Buffalos, what can you tell us about this tractor clue here?
Well, we're a little tired right now
Because we are busy using this tractor
To mow lawns all around town.
- Oh, to mow lawns. - Okay.
- To mow lawns. - Thank you, man in black.
- Motown. - Ken: I'm just gonna go with my gut.
- Go. - I'm not even gonna think. Bell biv devoe.
- That's all I'm saying. - ( crowd cheering )
- Very easy. Easy! The way they dance. - Three words.
- No rhymes. - The way they know how to work a crowd.
The jar of puh-puh-poison. Makes sense to me.
Motown is a subsidiary of mca records that signed bbd.
- You know me, bbd. - Oh. Oh!
All right, never trust a big buffalo and a smile.
- Robin: Yeah! - There you go, daddy. There you go.
I don't hate it. I don't hate it.
But I was thinking of a little band called, um, 112.
- Ah. - 112, yeah.
- "peaches and cream," you know that hit? - Yeah, I love 112.
- They got some great records. - But I was tiptoeing around another band--
Boy band in particular, 'cause I know them very well,
But this boy band had a residency in vegas,
- And we had some poker chips up there. - Okay.
I mean, could this be the amazing boyz ii men?
- I mean, amazing. - No. No, it couldn't be.
- Ken: I don't-- - jenny: You're not feeling it?
- Both: No. - No, I mean, I love your guess
If you're following the clues, but vocally I didn't hear
- No shawn, no wanyá in there. - What did you hear, robin?
I mean, I've been on the jonas brothers.
But we heard in the clue package today
That they found each other along the way.
- Yeah. Uh-huh. - So they're not brothers.
- But another group of guys that was on nickelodeon... - Yeah?
- ...Was big time rush. - Ken: Oh!
- And we saw they had a sitcom. - Ken: Yeah.
We saw clues about, you know, film clues.
- That's right. - What do you think, nick?
I think I know. Everybody up there is really close,
- I'll just say that. - Okay, okay.
- Thank you. - Now let's make some noise...
...For the buffalos. You guys go charge backstage.
We'll see you for the vote.
Men in black, help the buffalo out.
We've been waiting for some buffalos like them, right?
They got the mean two-step. Ay!
- Look at that! - Ay! Ay!
- I'm in love. - I'm in love with the buffalo.
Can I just say-- can I be-- I got wooed at the saloon.
Ken: That was beautiful.
♪ who is that?
( music playing )
♪ don't never, never, never, never ♪
♪ never, never, never, ever hide your heart ♪
♪ don't ever, ever, ever
♪ ever try it
♪ whoa, no
♪ if you don't give your heart wings ♪
♪ you'll never, never, never
♪ never fly, oh, oh
- ( music stops ) - ( crowd groans )
Like in "footloose," no dancing allowed here.
'cause we got a show to do, right?
- Yes! - Three singers are advancing to the group a finals,
And someone's headed home in the back of our "footloose" dancers' mid-size sedan.
Bring out our singers!
- Oh! - Hey, hey, hey, hey!
All right, all night,
Our singers have been footloose and fancy-free.
But now we go from comedy and dance breaks to full-on drama,
Because this is a competition
And someone's gotta get unmasked.
- No! - Audience and panel,
Time to choose your favorite of the night.
( groaning )
- I've never been more confused than right now. - ( groans )
- Nick: All right, time's up. - This is the hardest part.
- The hardest part of the show. - Oh, man, this bit sucks.
- And the results are in. - Oh, no.
The next singer of group a
To unmask is...
- Oh, no. - Jenny: Ugh!
So hard! This is such a hard part.
Robin: Uh-oh.
Buffal-uh-oh.
Rita: I actually have no idea who it could be.
Showbird.
- ( all groan ) - oh, my god!
Oh, she's so sad.
Nick: To our winning singers, congratulations.
You guys have officially advanced...
Yeah, buffalo are so happy.
...To soundtrack of my life night
For the group a finals.
So wash the "footloose" glitter off your costumes and rest your pipes.
We'll see you then. Y'all keep it going for 'em, y'all.
- Yeah! - Buffalos, woodpecker, ship.
- Love you! - Come on!
And while you guys are still clapping,
Make some noise for showbird!
- She was sensational, right? - Oh, showbird!
All right, now, showbird, we are so sad to see you go,
But we can't wait to see who you are.
- Yeah! - We want to see this famous face, right?
- Yeah! - Whoo!
Nick: So, panel, you know the drill.
What are those final guesses?
- Who's going first? - You.
- ( groans ) - I think ken should go first.
- He has an emotional connection. - That's true.
I really do. With the masked ambassador being joel mchale,
The incredible vocals, and the stage presence,
And finding love and being genuinely happy,
I believe this is my "community" castmate yvette nicole brown.
My bubé. I think it's my bubé.
- They got nicknames for her and everything. - Yeah.
I know, we call each other bubé all the time.
Nick: All right, robin, what you got?
The big clue that stood out was the michael bivins connection to motown records,
That she was part of a hip-hop family.
- Very true. - That really shifted the whole guessing process here.
So I'm gonna-- I don't want any credit for it,
But I do think the very best guess is your guess,
- Yvette nicole brown. - Wow.
Wow, I don't think that's ever happened on this show before.
I think that-- aww. There's always room--
- Nick: So much love. - Okay.
- Rita: What's happening? - It's in my contract.
You're not allowed to touch me, remember? Yeah.
- It's in the contract. No touching. - What's happening here?
I don't know. For me, though, when I heard that "empire" clue...
- Yeah. - ...And then I saw that purple cupcake,
I was thinking that has to be "the color purple."
- Yeah. - This has to be. And she knows how to sang.
- She can do it all. - Taraji p. Henson.
- Taraji p. - Yes!
I don't think that's taraji, but I think it's a very good guess.
- It's a good guess. - I mean, I said that last week,
And I actually think you could be right.
But just to have another name in the mix, the purple cupcake--
I mean, the prince connection.
- I'm gonna stick with sheila e. - Robin: "the glamorous life."
- Rita: Yeah. - Ken: Oh, look at that.
- Nick: All right. - Oh, she's playing her congas.
Well, we love it. Those are some great guesses.
- But let's see if any of you are correct. - Oh, man.
- And we'll do that after the break. - ( groaning )
Come on! We just stood up and everything.
- You ain't right, nick. - Got my legs all warm.
♪ who is that?
Welcome back to "footloose" night.
Now, before the break, we learned showbird is headed home.
The panel guessed everyone from taraji p. Henson to sheila e.
Now let's see if any of them are right.
Showbird, we need to know, who are you?
- Oh, my goodness. - Audience, say it with me.
( all chanting ) take it off! Take it off!
- Who is it? - Who is it?
- Who's the showbird? - ♪ I really wanna know
I think we're all wrong.
♪ oh, I really wanna know
♪ come on, tell me, who are you? ♪
- Take it off! - ♪ you, you, you
♪ are you
- Emmy-nominated superstar... - Oh!
- Yes! Yes! - ...From the hit show "community,"
Yvette nicole brown!
Ken: Bubé!
- Ken jeong was right. - Aww.
- Bubé! - Rita: Ken!
You're right again!
- ( explosion ) - whoa!
- ( ken laughs ) - I don't know why I'm getting emotional doing this.
- Are you emo-- tell us why you're emotional. - It's funny.
Like, first of all, this is a love letter to ken.
They've been asking me to do the show for years.
And, you know, singing is my first love, and it's hard to--
You know, when it didn't work out, and so I always said no.
- But for you... - Aww!
...I said I would come and do this for you.
- You were so great. You were so great. - She did this for you, bubé!
- Yeah. - Honestly, you're family.
- We've gone through everything together. - Yes.
- We-- our careers-- you have no... - Started around the same time.
- ...Like, the bond that we have. - Yeah.
- I love you so much. - Aww. By the way, your voice is phenomenal.
- Thank you. - Amazing. Can we expect some more singing?
Y'all could have voted more for me.
Well, can we expect some more singing from the showbird?
You know, I kind of feel like it bit me again.
It's been 20 years since I've sung as myself.
- Wow. - I sing on-- I do cartoons and stuff.
I've sung there. I've sung on "community."
- But to sing as me, it's been a very long time. - Wow.
Now, and you've had some iconic roles throughout your career.
- Yes. - What was it like being the showbird?
Showbird is kind of-- you know, she has her own personality.
Look at all of these feathers.
- And you know she's got this caboose. - Hey, hey, hey!
- Shake your tailfeathers. - I've never been able to twerk until right now.
- Hey! Twerk something. - Yeah.
Well, great job, and let's hear it one more time
- For the amazing yvette nicole brown. - Yeah!
Yeah!
"footloose" night was epic, and we're just getting started.
Next week is soundtrack of my life
For our group a finals.
And we're gonna have a double elimination.
You don't want to miss it.
- But right now, put your hands together... - You were amazing!
- ...For the artist formerly known as showbird. - So nice to meet you.
- What an amazing thing. - Yvette nicole brown!
There she is! Sing it, baby! Sing it!
♪ let's hear it for the boy
- ♪ let's give the boy a hand - whoo!
♪ let's hear it for my baby
♪ you know you gotta understand ♪
- ( vocalizing ) - yeah!
♪ let's hear it for my baby
♪ put your hands together
Ken: Oh, wow!
Nick: Yvette nicole brown!
Rita: Yeah! Whoo!